Ollie excited about Armed Forces Classic

ESPN sent out an official release on the Armed Forces Classic college basketball game between UConn and MichiganState.

The Ramstein Air Base in Germany is hosting the first ever regular season game played in Europe on Friday, Nov. 9. It is the season opener for the Huskies.

The game will be played in a C-5 transport airplane hanger, which will seat about 3,500. ESPN will begin its broadcast at 5:30 p.m.

During their visit, the Huskies and Spartans will hold a clinic for children at the base and visit with servicemen and women at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

“We at the University of Connecticut are honored and humbled to be asked to participate in such a terrific event as the first Armed Forces Classic,” said UConn coach Kevin Ollie in a released statement.

“Being able to travel overseas and play for the brave men and women in our military to whom we owe so much is an unbelievable opportunity for our basketball program and we are extremely thankful to ESPN for including us. The fact that the game will be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany makes it more exciting for our team, since our roster includes three young men who are German citizens, but all our student-athletes are looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“On a personal note, I couldn’t be more proud and honored that my first game as UConn’s head coach will be in the Armed Forces Classic against an outstanding program like MichiganState. I know that Coach (Jim) Calhoun had a great relationship with Coach Izzo, which I hope to continue in the future. I am grateful to have such an inspiring way to begin my career.”

It will be a homecoming for three Germans on the UConn roster – Leon Tolksdorf (Berlin), Niels Giffey (Berlin) and Enosch Wolf (Goettingen). R.J. Evans of Salem, whose grandmother is German, also has relatives there.